Last Saturday a team of CF215 competitors traveled to CrossFit Generation for their annual Affiliate Summer Slam. Team 215 participated in five workouts overall and beat out 30 teams to claim our first top finish ever as a team in competition. Congratulations to every athlete who helped represent CF215 – we could not be prouder of all of you!

A huge thank you to Barry, Vince, and everyone, at CrossFit Generation for hosting another great competition. In addition to great hospitality, the day ran pretty seamlessly and the workouts were fun and creative to participate in. We can’t wait until next year!

CF215 took 1st place out of 30 teams at CrossFit Generation’s Affiliate Summer Slam on Saturday!

Full recap of a BIG competition weekend for 215 coming tomorrow 🙂

Mobility Contest Updates

We are over halfway through the month of August! How are you keeping up with your mobility? While I can’t reveal who is in the lead, I can say that the ladies of 215 are pretty much blowing the men away. C’mon guys what are you waiting for? You are the ones who need this the most! Make sure to fill out your tickets and stay supple friends!

PHILLY HOT LIST

CrossFit215 is nominated for BEST CrossFit on the Philly Hot List. Voting continues for the next month! If you have a moment in your day to vote for us and leave a “tip” we would be super grateful! Please also checkout our staff photographer and 215 member Matt Godfrey’s Fairmount Photography as well as our friends at David Arnold Salon!

On Ramp

The next cycle of On Ramp begins Monday, August 26th at 7:00pm. On Ramp is a prerequisite for entering group classes. We will teach you all of the fundamental movements we use in CrossFit, including gymnastics skills, olympic weightlifting movements, and rowing technique. We have two options to complete the prerequisites. Our group program consists of five classes over two weeks running Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings at 7pm with potential for schedule changes. Additionally, we offer one-on-one personal training sessions as well. If you know a friend or family member who is interested in joining please contact [email protected] for more information.

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Saturday class time change

This is a reminder that classes on Saturday will now be 9am and 10am starting this week!

Competitions

There are a TON of competitions and seminars in CrossFit, Olympic Weightlifting, and Gymnastics coming up in the fall. We try to post as many as we can on our event page calendar, so if you’re looking for an event head over to the calendar and check it out. Many of these competitions have both RX and Scaled divisions, so don’t be afraid to ask others to join you!

215 Athletes Compete This Weekend

CF215 members Kevin K, Kevin D, Jeff, Sam, Erica, and myself will be heading to CrossFit Generation in Horsham, PA on Saturday morning to compete against 29 other teams in their annual Affiliate Summer Slam Team competition. You can checkout the workouts on the event blog here!

Rachel and Nikki will be competing in the No baby, Leave the Socks on Women’s Only Competition at CrossFit T1 on Saturday as well.

Good luck to all of our athletes who are competing this weekend. If you have never seen a CrossFit competition and want to venture out and cheer on our athletes, we would love the support!

The Partner Throwdown is Sold Out!

Thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket to compete in our Partner Throwdown competition on September 7th at CrossFit215. We are incredibly grateful for all of the support over the years from the community for this event, and we are excited to deliver another great competition this year. Stay tuned to the event blog for updates and information! We are still looking for a few more qualified judges to help during the event. If you are interested please email [email protected]

Philly Hot List – We are climbing the ladder, but we still need your help!

CrossFit215 is nominated for BEST CrossFit on the Philly Hot List. Voting continues for the next month! If you have a moment in your day to vote for us and leave a “tip” we would be super grateful! Please also checkout our staff photographer and 215 member Matt Godfrey’s Fairmount Photography as well as our friends at David Arnold Salon!

We collaborated with our friends from Breakaway Ink to bring you our newest 215 shirts and tanks. Sizes are limited so get yours soon!

Philly Hot List – Less then a month left to vote!

CrossFit215 is nominated for BEST CrossFit on the Philly Hot List. Voting continues for the next month! If you have a moment in your day to vote for us and leave a “tip” we would be super grateful! Please also checkout our staff photographer and 215 member Matt Godfrey’s Fairmount Photography as well as our friends at David Arnold Salon!

Just remember that your health functions like any other investment, the earlier you start contributing, the more value and benefit you’ll be able to enjoy later. Siphoning your money into weekend binges or daily dinners is awesome and I’m certainly not one to tell you how to live your life. Just don’t convince yourself that your health is a financial priority that falls well below your cable bill and coffee allowance.

New Saturday Time Change

Effective beginning next Saturday, August 17th we are removing our 8am class and replacing it with a 10am class. We have noticed many of you enjoy a few extra hours of sleep on the weekends and our temporary 10am class the other week was a big hit. If demand increases for an earlier start come the fall we will consider changing it back. In the meantime, Saturdays are now 9am and 10am classes!

31 Heroes

Former 215 member Amy Revello was one of 171 teams who participated in “31 Heroes” this weekend outside in VA Beach

Thank you for all of those who came out Saturday to participate in 31 Heroes. We appreciate your support of this great cause and look forward to celebrating again next year.

On Ramp Begins Tonight

The gym will be bustling tonight with new faces as our next cycle of On Ramp begins at a new start time of 6:30pm. If you know a friend or family member who is interested in joining please contact [email protected] for more information. The next cycle will begin on Monday, August 26th!

Today is Day 1 of the Mobility Month Contest! Tickets will be located on top of the shelf that stores our mobility equipment. Don’t forget to have a coach sign off on your ticket or else you will not receive credit!

As we begin our month of mobility it is important for everyone to understand what exactly mobility is. The term mobility gets thrown around a lot these days and its meaning can easily be misinterpreted or referred to incorrectly. According to Kelly Starrett, mobilization is a movement-based integrated full-body approach that addresses all the elements that limit movement and performance including short and tight muscles, soft tissue restriction, joint capsule restriction, motor control problems, joint range of motion dysfunction, and neural dynamic issues. In short, mobilization is a tool to globally address movement and performance problems.

Below is a great article written by Calvin Sun former coach from CrossFit Invictus and current Director of Training at CrossFit Barracks explaining the distinction between mobility and flexibility.

Mobility vs. Flexibility: What’s The Difference?

I have spent over half a decade working in the fitness industry and, for better or worse, things have changed a great deal over the last few years. Among these changes, strength coaches and physical therapists have found themselves on convergent paths. Many PTs are required to have a certification in strength and conditioning and more coaches are finding themselves at seminars learning about myofasical release and techniques for increasing range of motion. In the past, coaches and trainers would simply instruct their clients on how to “stretch”, focusing on increasing flexibility by lengthening muscles that might be short and tight. Today, especially in the CrossFit community, we hear the term “mobilization” used in conjunction with or even in place of the word “stretching”. This has caused some confusion amongst coaches, clients, and their respective physical therapists, chiropractors, and massage therapists. In a clinical setting, joint mobilization typically refers to a type of manual therapy intervention where a therapist will physically move the joint to help restore function and/or alleviate symptoms. However, more commonly, coaches are referring to the definition popularized by Kelly Starrett of San Francisco CrossFit and MobilityWOD. He describes mobilization as “a movement-based integrated full-body approach that addresses all the elements that limit movement and performance including short and tight muscles, soft tissue restriction, joint capsule restriction, motor control problems, joint range of motion dysfunction, and neural dynamic issues. In short, mobilization is a tool to globally address movement and performance problems”.

Mobility should be a proactive approach, not a reactive one. In other words, don’t wait until problems arise before you address them. Too often I will see athletes finish a workout that might have hundreds of repetitions of loaded squats or pressing and do absolutely nothing to address the potential issues that are usually right around the corner. Having said that, there’s a great deal you can do to prevent injury, speed recovery, and improve performance. We can break down mobilization into three primary modalities: soft tissue work, stretching, and joint mobilization.

Soft Tissue Work
There are a number of modalities within soft tissue work. In gyms, self-myofascial release (SMFR) is the most common form of soft tissue work. Tools such as foam rollers, massage sticks, theracanes, and lacrosse balls are common tools for this modality. SMFR can be performed before or after training sessions. Sometimes SMFR alone isn’t enough and an athlete will have to seek out a massage therapist, chiropractor, or physical therapist who is trained to deal with issues outside the scope of a fitness coach. Modalities such Active Release Technique (A.R.T.), Rolfing, Muscle Activation Technique, Structural Integration, and Trigger Point Therapy are amongst the techniques you will find utilized by professionals. If you are experiencing sharp, shooting pain, your coach should refer you to an appropriate medical professional.

Stretching
Static stretching and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching are the two most common ways to stretch short, tight muscles. Static stretching normally involves using stretches that hold the target muscle in a lengthened position. Through autogenic inhibition, this method allows for increases in passive range of motion. Static stretches are typically held for at least 30 seconds. PNF stretching comes in a variety of forms but most commonly is performed by stretching the tight muscle, isometrically contracting the muscle, and then stretching the muscle further. Kelly Starrett recommends five cycles of 5 seconds of contraction followed by 10 seconds of passive stretching. Watch Kelly Starrett demo PNF stretching here

Joint Mobilization
A variety of techniques are demonstrated on Kelly Starrett’s website, often involving stretch bands, to provide distraction at a given joint. The goal of joint mobilization is to help increase extensibility of a joint capsule by breaking up adhesions and/or stretching the capsule itself. Be cautious if you are experiencing pain or are prone to joint subluxations or dislocations as joint mobilization is contraindicated. Having said that, I would also advise against using any sort of band distraction if you are pregnant as the increased joint laxity can be problematic.

Mobility or mobilization is not to be confused with warm-up. The primary focus of mobility is to improve positions thereby improving power output and performance. Warm-up is designed to prepare the body for movement, it does not solve positional problems. Most group classes at Invictus involve a warm-up consisting of dynamic range of motion movements, which will certainly help to prepare you for the impending training session. However, if you are positionally inhibited you will need to supplement your training with mobility work in order resolve any positional problems you might have.

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This Saturday during 8am and 9am classes we will be hosting the 31 Heroes Project. This will be our 3rd year running this workout to honor the 31 Americans killed in action in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011. The 31Heroes Project exists to support the families of all fallen military heroes. Please see the details of the workout on the event page.

Funds raised from the “31 Heroes” WOD are split equally among partnering organizations: Snowball Express, the Travis Manion Foundation‘s Challenge Grants program. To donate to the cause, purchase a shirt, or learn more about the 31 Heroes Project please check out their website here.

August Mobility Contest

The mobility contest begins tomorrow! If you didn’t read the rules please read the post here. Throughout the month we will be posting articles to help guide you on your journey towards becoming a supple leopard!

Philly Hot List

CrossFit215 is nominated for BEST CrossFit on the Philly Hot List. Voting has begun! If you have a moment in your day to vote for us and leave a “tip” we would be super grateful! Please also checkout our staff photographer and 215 member Matt Godfrey’s Fairmount Photography!

On Ramp

The next cycle of On Ramp begins Monday, August 5th at 6:30pm. This time has been changed from 6pm. On Ramp is a prerequisite for entering group classes. We will teach you all of the fundamental movements we use in CrossFit, including gymnastics skills, olympic weightlifting movements, and rowing technique. We have two options to complete the prerequisites. Our group program consists of five classes over two weeks running Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings at 6:30pm with potential for schedule changes. Additionally, we offer one-on-one personal training sessions as well. If you know a friend or family member who is interested in joining please contact [email protected] for more information.

In an effort to encourage our athletes to become more self educated and spend time outside of class working on mobility and flexibility, we are having a contest during the entire month of August where everyone will have the chance to win either a new copy of Kelly Starrett’s book Becoming a Supple Leopard or a Trigger Point Foam Roller.

How it works

Every day you spend a minimum of 15 minutes outside of class working on mobility you are allowed to enter your name on a ticket that must be dated and signed off on by a coach. At the end of the month, the person with the most tickets will be crowned the winner. In the event of a tie, we will pick one winner. In addition to the assortment of foam rollers, lax balls, Trigger Point Therapy kit products, voodoo floss, resistance bands, etc. that are already available for use, we are also providing two gym owned copies of Becoming a Supple Leopard to use as a reference while in the gym. We highly encourage everyone to use these books, but they are not to be moved from their location or borrowed to give everyone an equal opportunity to read them. Athletes will also be allowed to use the computer located in the small room to watch videos from mobilitywod.com if there is no class being held in the room at that time.

The Rules

1.) The contest begins August 1st and the last day to enter a ticket is August 31st.
2.) You are only allowed to one entry per day. The ticket must be dated and signed off on by a coach.
3.) You are only allowed to count time outside of class which means anything done during class (i.e. warm up, movement prep, or anything led by a coach) does not contribute to the 15 minute minimum. Additionally, the activity must take place at the gym, therefore going to a yoga class outside of class will not count.
4.) This will be on the honor system. If you just sit on a foam roller for 15 minutes while chatting with your friends that is not considered mobility. Please have intention of what you are doing. While a coach needs to sign off on your ticket they will not be available to watch what you are doing the entire time. Be honest and make sure if you submit a ticket you feel confident you invested the time.

Questions

Saturday Schedule

We are canceling the 8am class this Saturday in lieu of a staff meeting. We will be adding a 10am class in its place. 9am will be held as normal.

Don’t forget to sign up for the BBQ Saturday night! The festivities kick off at 5pm and we hope to see many of you there!

Liberty Barbell Club Hookgrip Classic

The Liberty Barbell club has invited any lifters interested to come out to the 2013 Hookgrip Classic they are hosting at CrossFit Center City in October. The meet will be held 10/5-10/6 and the rest of the details are on our event page. This would be a great opportunity for new lifters to try their first meet in a supportive CF-ish environment, while giving advanced lifters the opportunity to qualify for the American Open.

CrossFit 215 Gym Tour

A few months back we filmed a gym tour with our video production friends Bear Bear Pro. Since then we have already made some upgrades to the facility that you may notice. If you have a friend or family member curious about what a CrossFit gym looks like on the inside, feel free to share with them on Our Facility page!

We are in the heart of summertime, which for many of us means vacations, BBQ’s, parties and indulgences. Beautiful weather coupled with social events often is accompanied by a lot of temptations. Let’s be honest, sometimes we just want to enjoy some ice cream (clearly, I did). And while it is important to cut loose and enjoy ourselves every once in a while, it is equally as easy to get carried away (which I did as well).

So, how do we find balance? Below is an excerpt from Precision Nutrition’s Strategies for Success. Maybe not all of these suggestions will fit into your lifestyle, but if you are looking for more guidance to steer you in the right direction these are great tips to keep in mind. Additionally, if you are finding yourself too busy to cook, or perhaps your meals are lacking variety, we offer our Custom Fit Meal service which is delivered fresh 2x/week right to the gym. For more information see the CFM page.

Below, I’d like to present my 10 Rules of Good Nutrition. In doing so, I hope to accomplish 2 goals.

First, I want to help you rethink your whole nutrition approach and provide you with a new set of nutrition rules and habits, a set that swiftly moves you in the direction of your goals.

Secondly, I want to show specifically how the strategies laid out in this book offer much more than a few ideas – they represent a complete success system, fully integrated into the basic habits of good nutrition.

So here are the 10 rules:

1. Eat every 2-3 hours.
Are you doing this – no matter what? Now, you don’t need to eat a full meal every 2-3 hours but you do need to eat 6-8 meals and snacks that conform to the other rules below.

2. Eat complete, lean protein each time you eat.
Are you eating something that was an animal or comes from an animal – every time you feed yourself? If not, make the change. Note: If you’re a vegetarian, this rule still applies – you need complete protein and need to find non-animal sources.

3. Eat vegetables every time you eat.
That’s right, in addition to a complete, lean protein source, you need to eat some vegetables every time you eat (every 2-3 hours, right?). You can toss in a piece of fruit here and there as well. But don’t skip the veggies.

4. Eat carbs only when you deserve to.
Well, not ALL carbs – eat fruits and veggies whenever you want. And if want to eat a carbohydrate that’s not a fruit or a vegetable (this includes things like simple sugars, rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, etc), you can – but you’ll need to save it until after you’ve exercised. Yes, these often heavily processed grains are dietary staples in North America, but heart disease, diabetes and cancer are medical staples – and there’s a relationship between the two! To stop heading down the heart disease highway, reward yourself for a good workout with a good carbohydrate meal right after (your body best tolerates these carbohydrates after exercise). For the rest of the day, eat your lean protein and a delicious selection of fruits and veggies.

5. Learn to love healthy fats.
There are 3 types of fat – saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Forget about that old “eating fat makes you fat” maxim. Eating all three kinds of fat in a healthy balance (about equal parts of each) can dramatically improve your health, and even help you lose fat. Your saturated fat should come from your animal products and you can even toss in some butter or coconut oil for cooking. Your monounsaturated fat should come from mixed nuts, olives, and olive oil. And your polyunsaturated fat should from flaxseed oil, fish oil, and mixed nuts.

6. Ditch the calorie containing drinks (including fruit juice).
In fact, all of your drinks should come from non-calorie containing beverages. Fruit juice, alcoholic drinks, and sodas – these are all to be removed from your daily fare. Your best choices are water and green tea.

7. Focus on whole foods.
Most of your dietary intake should come from whole foods. There are a few times where supplement drinks and shakes are useful. But most of the time, you’ll do best with whole, largely unprocessed foods.

8. Have 10% foods.
I know you cringed at a few of the rules above. But here’s the thing: 100% nutritional discipline is never required for optimal progress. The difference, in results, between 90% adherence to your nutrition program and 100% adherence is negligible. So you can allow yourself “10% foods” – foods that break rules, but which you’ll allow yourself to eat (or drink, if it’s a beverage) 10% of the time. Just make sure you do the math and determine what 10% of the time really means. For example, if you’re eating 6 meals per day for 7 days of the week – that’s 42 meals. 10% of 42 is about 4. Therefore you’re allowed to “break the rules” on about 4 meals each week.

9. Develop food preparation strategies.
The hardest part about eating well is making sure you can follow the 8 rules above consistently. And this is where preparation comes in. You might know what to eat, but if isn’t available, you’ll blow it when it’s time for a meal.

10. Balance daily food choices with healthy variety.
Let’s face it, when you’re busy during the week, you’re not going to be spending a ton of time whipping up gourmet meals. During these times you’re going to need a set of tasty, easy to make foods that you can eat day in and day out. However, once every day or a few times a week, you need to eat something different, something unique and tasty to stave off boredom and stagnation.

(Taken from Precision Nutrition Strategies for Success. You can download your own copy here.)

4 days agoby requisitefitnessThe @crossfitgames open officially begins this week! The Open is a five-week test of fitness for all levels of ability. It’s an opportunity to showcase your hard work and cheer on your friends. This year we’ve created our own scoreboard to crown the fittest men and women at RF! The workouts will be held every Saturday beginning February 23rd (week 1) for five weeks with heats running from 8am - 11am. If you cannot make Saturday’s and still want to participate, Friday, Sunday, or Monday will be available for make ups. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Register at Games.CrossFit.com under affiliate “CrossFit215” and sign

1 week agoby requisitefitnessit’s Friday! We hope you all had a happy Valentine’s Day • We are running a Valentine’s Day special - 14% off all memberships for one month through next week. Treat yourself or your friends and loved ones to the gift of fitness! DM or click the in bio today!

1 week agoby requisitefitnessDoes your gym have a physical therapist with office hours INSIDE the gym? • We are privileged to be able to work closely with some of the best practitioners in the area. If you’re looking for knowledgeable doctors who specialize in working with active populations then contact @trainingroom .gv today! • #Repost@trainingroom .gv ・・・ Now providing Physical Therapy services @ Requisite Fitness in East Falls. Dr. Nick will be in weekly from 1-8 PM providing one-on-one care for all of your musculoskeletal and performance needs. @nickperugini .dpt specializes in working with active populations and is ready to coordinate with you and your

2 weeks agoby requisitefitness“Why do YOU do it? The Open is a competition that gives structure and focused space for marching toward a goal. Anyone is able to pursue aspirations of reaching the highest level or achieving a first muscle-up. It starts with why, which leads to a choice, continues with a plan, gives way to a global competition, and carries on with celebration of the pursuit” @crossfitgames • #intheopen#requisitefitness#crossfit215#crossfit#fitness

2 weeks agoby requisitefitnessTHE OPEN! Coach @whatfredo is here to lay it all out with what you can expect • Who is it for? EVERYONE! RX, Scaled, Masters, Teens, Beginners, Veterans • When does it start? February 21st. We will be completing the workouts on Saturdays from 8-11am for five weeks • What…are you waiting for? Sign up today at www.games.crossfit.com under affiliate “CrossFit215” #requisitefitness#crossfit215#intheopen#crossfit#community

2 weeks agoby requisitefitnessStrong nurses ‍⚕️‍⚕️ • Did you know over 15% of our members are doctors or nurses? These men and women know the value of their own health and fitness. You’ll often see them at RF coming off a shift or about to head in. They make the time work on themselves in order to be more effective in their jobs taking caring of others. National Nurses week isn’t until May but we’d like to give a shout to some of these nurses who crush it week in and week out! #crossfitnurse#requisitefitness#crossfit215#trainwithapurpose#crossfit#health#wellness#fitness

2 weeks agoby requisitefitness#tbt The Open is less than 20 days away! The Open is a five-week test of fitness for all levels of ability. It’s an opportunity to showcase your hard work and cheer on your friends each week. We will be hosting the Open every Saturday beginning February 23rd (week 1) for five weeks running heats from 8am - 11am. If you cannot make Saturday’s and still want to participate, Friday’s or Monday’s will be available for make ups. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Register at Games.CrossFit.com under affiliate “CrossFit215” and sign your name on the whiteboard at the gym • #CrossFit#IntheOpen#requisitefitness#crossfit215

3 weeks agoby requisitefitnessThe Open is a five-week test of fitness. A challenge. Taking part in this contest looks different for everyone. Some will push themselves to go Rx'd, many will scale as needed and all will watch and cheer their friends. The Open is for everyone. We will be hosting the Open every Saturday beginning February 23rd (week 1) for five weeks running heats from 8am - 11am. If you cannot make Saturday’s and still want to participate, Friday’s or Monday’s will be available for make ups. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Register at Games.CrossFit.com! #CrossFit#IntheOpen#requisitefitness#crossfit215@liftingcultureapparel